Ms. ABD in New York City - Part 1

There is always something really sad about being at JFK, waiting for my return flight to California. I was feeling especially sad last night because this trip to NYC was one of my favorite by far. The interesting thing is that I really didn't do much. Most of my days were spent meeting up with friends, walking around Manhattan, and jsut enjoying the terrific weather.

I had the good fortune of catching my wanderlust friends friends E and J right after they got back from their own travels. They hosted me this past week by offering their Union Square apartment, living room and air mattress to me. One of my favorite things about E and J is that they are a couple who enjoys good culture, good stories, and especially really good food. They foodies in the traditional sense - avid readers of restaurant reviews, food articles, online articles about good places to eat and drink, and their travels are centered on eating good food. I knew I would be in luck in terms of eating good food this week.

I got in Wednesday night in time for dinner and they first place they took me to was a contemporary Indian restaurant in their neighborhood called Tamarind. We took a brisk walk over about a dozen blocks and got to the restaurant just missing the 8p wave. We were stuck waiting at the bar and ordered delicious drinks served in overly small glasses. There is nothing that annoys me more than places that charge an insane amount for drinks in small glasses. Though I guess I could understand that this was Manhattan after all and the restaurant was contemporary in a chi-chi kind of way, but still, my mostly-ice gingerale didn't seem worth it. The clientle were mainly beautiful South Asians grabbing a bite to eat with friends after work. The bar started to get crowded 30 minutes into the wait. After we all commented about our growing hunger, E began to get annoyed at the host at the front door who had promised no more than a 20 minute wait.

I am amazed at how E is able to turn his assertive New Yorker (a combination of aggressive and joking annoyance on the verge of going ape-shit if you if you don't give him what he wants pronto). Perhaps it's been too long since I last hung out with him in our Bay Area environs but this was a new side to him that I hypothesize has developed in the past 10 years or so of becoming a true New Yorker. It made me reflect on how non-confrontational I've become. (Laster in the week E gently poked fun at my noticeable "California softness.")

So after some assertive guilting, we were seated and enjoyed some wonderful Indian food. I was impressed with the dishes, which seemed like a less greasy and heavy version of the Indian offerings back home. The best dish was this spicy deep fried cauliflower with a tomato-based red sauce. I also enjoyed the tamarind, orange, and a bunch of other fruits drink I can't remember that left the back of my throat with a warm burning sensation. Our walk back home, passeggiata, E tells me as the Italians refer to it, made the evening perfect; the weather was mild and we chatted with full, content bellies.

I woke up the next morning and decided to head out to the Museum of Natural History. I had never gone before and after seeing A Night At the Museum with Ben stiller, I was curious to see if the Museum was really that full of interesting displays of Western anthropological "findings." The trip up the West side was also on my way to visit a former professor and mentor at Columbia University, Professor G.

The beginning of the trip would start off bad. I walked around the corner to a bodega and picked up some breakfast because like typical busy big city folk, E and J had nothing but two kinds of beer and condiments in their fridge. I picked up a Metro Card and had some difficulty getting into the station because none of the turnstiles seemed to work. A man was closing up the station told me to go through the emergency doors and offered to take card to swipe me in. Before I really stopped to think about what was going on, he was swiping my card. Rookie mistake. I had an odd feeling like something weird just went down, like this interaction didn't seem quite right, but I heard the train coming and decided to ignore the strange feeling. The train came and I headed uptown. I would have to deal with that funny feeling later.

Even though the sun peeked through the clouds once in awhile, the sky sprinkled rain on and off on the way to the Museum. The train ride eased me back into NYC life and everything brought me back to my brief days as a New Yorker. I got off the B train at 81st street and walked around the corner. I was surprised to see the front of the Museum filled with tourists and school children. I entered the Museum and found the automated ticketing kiosks. The signs weren't too clear so I just purchased a general admission ticket for a student. Even though I later realized that this ticket wouldn't get me into the special exhibits - horses, the planetarium, and butterflies - I could walk around all the other areas.

The rest of the museum was fascinating from a cultural studies perspective. I shared with Professor G that I went to the Museum and mentioned the displays objectified and exoticized "people" of Africa, Asia, etc. He explained that that was to be expected since the Museum was originally designed in the 1930s by a eugenicist. This made sense to me given the evolutionary feel to the layout of the museum. I spent a total of over two hours at the museum and finished with the gemological exhibit. It's kind of sad but most of the exhibits the museum looked old and dingy. The newest exhibits were all about human evolution, DNA, ecology, and environmental preservation.

I had about 45 minutes to get to Columbia to see Professor G. so I decided to walk to Amsterdam, grab a quick bite to eat along the way and then hop on the local red line. I found this great corner deli and sandwich place that had yummy chicken noodle soup. I sat by the window and watched all the people walking by.

After that brief interlude, I walked the next block up and went into the subway. When I tried to scan my Metrocard, the turnstile told me that I had insufficient fare. I went over to the kiosk to scan my card to verify the remaining funds. Again, insufficient fare. The attendant saw my disconcertedness and scanned my for me. He reported that the last fare occurred at 830am. I felt stupid at that moment because I recalled my gut feeling earlier that morning when they guy "helped me." I had been scammed.

I didn't give it anymore thought because what else could I do but chalk it up to a lesson learned and a reminder to listen to my gut instincts? I quickly purchased another card and got on the next train uptown.

Columbia and Barnard were in the middle of graduation season so there were plenty of dressed up students and families running around. I got asked three times for directions to the graduation and unfortunately for them, I couldn't be helpful at all.

I found Professor G's building and decided to walk up to the third floor. I knocked on his door about 10 minutes early. The door slowly swung open and I was greeted by a happy chocolate cocker spaniel. Sophie sniffed my pants and proceeded to lick my hands despite probably smelling Obi. As Professor G. and I talked Sophie sat by my side or dozed off on the floor. Professor G. was getting old. The smile lines around his eyes and mouth showed more distinctly but his eyes and laugh did not betray any loss of youthful spirit. I left his office happy that I had reconnected with a mentor and an old friend. I know that he will remain a consistent source of support of guidance.

I ended my day with dinner back downtown with E and J. They took me to this unusual place that apparently was the latest "hot" restaurant amongst NYC locals: Momofuku Ssam. The menu is really unique - lots of strange meats, small dishes, and influences from all over the world. Their drinks are also a bit eccentric - I wanted to order a Coke and all they had was Dr. Pepper and Diet Dr. Pepper! Even though we were totally stuffed, we walked over to Chikalicious dessert bar for some exquisite sweets. Everything at this place is paired with some kind of dessert wine and is prix fixe. The course includes an amuse, choice of dessert, and petit fours. For an additional cost, you can also get wine paired.

What a way to end the night. Stuffed, we took over evening stoll back to the apartment.